Gwynn, who was the head baseball coach at San Diego State University at the time of his death, had been battling salivary gland cancer, which he long held was caused by his use of chewing tobacco during his playing days.

He was a career .338 hitter while playing all 20 of his major league seasons for the Padres.

Gwynn set a National League record with his eight batting titles. He finished his career in 2001 with 3,141 hits. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

After having a malignant tumor removed from his right cheek in 2009, Gwynn saw the cancer return twice.

"The whole experience was traumatic because I thought I had it beat, and dang, it came back," Gwynn said during a visit to the Hall of Fame later that year for the induction ceremony.